Located in the low-lying islands in the Bay of Bengal, the Sundarbans straddle the border between India and Bangladesh and cover more than 1 million hectares, making them the world’s largest single contiguous mangrove swamp. A Ramsar site and a UNESCO World Heritage site inscribed in 1987, they are home to a wide range of critically endangered fauna, including the Bengal tiger, the Ganges dolphin, river terrapin, the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python, along with approximately 428 species of birds, 120 fish, 42 mammal, 35 reptile and 8 amphibian species. More than 60 plant species can be found there, able to tolerate the saline estuarine conditions.
Historically, cyclones have posed a greater threat in the Bay of Bengal than they do in the Arabian sea, to India’s west. Between 1891 and 2018, there were 520 cyclones in the Bay of Bengal, compared to 126 in the Arabian Sea. Mangrove forests have not only been proven to be one of the highest mediators for carbon sequestration, but also act as the first line of defence against flooding and erosion by lowering waves and storm surges. Research has shown that mangrove swamps are capable of lessening the impacts of major storms and other natural phenomena, not only in the delta region but also in the nearby cities such as Kolkata.
